Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria volume 7 end

I wanted to have fun, so I wrote my impressions of each chapter while reading them. So there’s contradictions (see chapter 2).

This post probably looks like something a middle schooler would write but I don’t care. It’s long too, so probably no one will read it since people don’t read walls of text on the net anymore. I also tried not to go into exaggeration with my impressions. With the Shenmue 3 announcement, lately, I noticed how social media makes people exaggerate. Saying it like this makes it obvious, like “people die when they are killed”, but it’s particularly striking when you see it for yourself. I’m a huge fan of Shenmue, it’s one of the games that “defined my childhood”, though that doesn’t really mean anything as I played it around when it got released, and was in around last year of elementary/around 9yo,  and I had already played tons of games that “defined my childhood” at the time from Master System to Dreamcast, and even more soon later like with PSO, still on Dreamcast.
I could sell the copies of Shenmue 1 and 2 I have for hundreds of euros now thanks to the Shenmue 3 announcement but I’d like to keep them. Anyway, I’m a huge fan, but thanks to the fact I don’t have FB, a twitter that I rarely use, and not attached to social media in general, I didn’t overreact when reading about the Shenmue 3 announcement. I’m just happy we’ll finally get to see what happens next. I had given up on seeing a sequel for years. I don’t even care if the game ends up looking like a ps2 game. I didn’t back the Kickstarter though but that’s another story.
Anyway. Back to Hakomari.

Hakomari final volume for June 10th

Source

My body is ready

(if you haven’t noticed, exams etc so no posts for now)

Hakomari final volume completed

Eusth said some days ago Mikage Eiji finished writing it. All we need to do is wait for a release date now. My body is ready.

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria vol6

OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD THIS VOLUME. THIS VOLUME.

Mikage Eiji is a genius. Hakomari would be my favorite LN ever if not for Slayers and Baccano!  I’m definitely buying all the volumes if I ever get a proper source of income.

That one had a bit less twists than Volume 5 but they had thirty times the impact. There’s only one volume left now. I can’t wait to see how everything will end. I love how despite all the things that happened, I still love Kazuki and can sympathize with him. Now that’s great writing. He had such awesome one liners this time too:

*Kazuki pushes down the girl. Panic can be seen in her eyes*

Kazuki: “Go feed your panic to a dog or something.”

I couldn’t wipe away my huge grin the whole time.

One thing I must praise besides the story, is how much Tetsuo-san, the artist, has improved. Its not like I didn’t already like his style at the beginning. I always loved how his illustrations made the characters look plain but good and recognizable. Their designs were full of simpleness, yet they still managed to leave an impression. However when I first saw the illustrations in volume 6, I was thoroughly shocked. They look simply stunning. Just look:

Kazu from Volume 4:

Kazu from Volume 6:

Volume 5’s illustrations were great but not that good. It’s like if between Volumes 4 and 6, Tetsuo-san removed all his limiters, activated the Triple Boost, Good Luck Mode, equipped a Red Ring and absorbed Androids 17 &18.  Just imagine how gorgeous the illustrations in volume 7 will look. I cannot wait.

Shine forevermore my beloved 2012 summer: Hakomari volume 5 TWISTER

After two years since volume four, the fifth volume of Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria finally got released this July. Eusth and Co from Baka Tsuki recently finished their translation of it. They did a great job like always. About the volume itself, it was worth the wait. It was so well written, so nerve racking, so crazy, so TWISTY. There’s plot twists literally around every ten sentences in this volume. I couldn’t believe it. Especially the last part. I think it has the highest “twist density concentration” among every media I ever enjoyed. It was really crazy. Hakomari is one of the reasons I started this blog, I loved the first four volumes so much I couldn’t help but talk about it, no matter how much I suck at it. And now it just renewed my love for it. It’s my favorite light novel ever after Baccano! and Slayers, and not even Baccano! ever had so many twists in such a short amount of time, in what I’ve read of it at least. Mikage Eiji san is a really good writer. This volume was awesome. Check it out at Baka Tsuki.

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria

Go on and read that Light Novel called Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria. Written by Eiji Mikage and illustrated by Tetsuo(nsfw). Story is about Kazuki, a high school student who lives an, quoting him, “everyday life”. Until one day where he is involved with a mysterious person who asks him whether he would like a “box” that would grant him any wish. The next day at school a transfer student named Aya Otonashi join, his class. She introduces herself’ (hence my avatar) and she finishes bluntly by saying “Kazuki Hoshino, I’m here to break you.” .

Can’t say any much more to not spoil things.  It’s slice of life, well it can seem like so, I don’t know how to explain it but it’s more like a mystery with dark elements and bizarre things, nothing as scary as Chaos:Head or other stuff though. The story can be quite confusing at first(like every other light novel) but the complexity is what I love about it. I don’t think I read a story similar to it ever in both originality and quality.
The 4 released volumes for now are fully translated in English thanks to EusthEnoptEron and Kadi so you should really check it out at Baka Tsuki.

Talking about this was one of the main reasons for making this blog since I really love it. I want it to be a little more known. And of course Maria is my waifu etc. I gotta talk about it everywhere.